One day, a fox passed by a grapevine laden with sweet, juicy grapes.
Seeing the grapes, the fox’s mouth watered, as it was both hungry and thirsty.
A little bird and a monkey were perched on the vine, happily eating the grapes.
“Are they sweet?” the fox asked.
“Of course!”
“They’re sweet and juicy!”
The fox couldn’t resist any longer; it had to have those grapes. But the grapes hung too high, just out of reach.
Unlike the bird, the fox couldn’t fly, and unlike the monkey, it couldn’t climb.
So, it stretched up on its tiptoes, but still couldn’t reach.
It jumped as high as it could, yet the grapes remained just beyond its grasp.
Taking a few steps back, the fox sprinted and leaped—but still, no luck.
Finally, it dragged over a big rock to stand on, but as soon as it climbed up, it lost its balance and tumbled to the ground.
Frustrated and sore, the fox got up, rubbed its bruised backside, and walked away, muttering: “Those grapes must be sour anyway. I wouldn’t want them!”
The little bird and the monkey laughed and said, “The fox can’t reach the grapes, so now it calls them sour!”
And that’s where the saying “sour grapes” comes from—describing people who, when unable to obtain something, choose to belittle it instead.
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